Interview at the PHDays 11 cybersecurity forum to WTC Moscow press service
The iconic industry event, the international forum on practical cybersecurity Positive Hack Days 11, continues its work at WTC Moscow Congress Center.
The largest open cyber battle in the world is taking place these days at The Standoff cyber training ground. In a practical game that lasts more than 30 hours, 160 white hackers (17 teams), among which there are teams from Russia, France, Belarus, Kazakhstan, show what threats the resources of any large city are exposed to. They can legally attack the payment system, hack a smart contract and much more. Five teams of information security specialists and security centers of excellence demonstrate effective countermeasures, gaining experience in preventing unacceptable events, of which leading experts in the field of cybersecurity have prepared this year as many as 99 options.
Before the official start of the second day of the Forum, Andrey Bershadsky, Director of the Positive Technologies Competence Center, conduct a tour of The Standoff for Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He spoke in detail about how the cyber battle goes, about the teams of hackers and defenders, about the technical equipment and the main goal of the cyber training ground, which is to improve practical skills through cyber exercises. Events on the site are as close to reality as possible, the game site is a large-scale emulation of urban infrastructure. It should be noted that the State F model is getting closer and closer to real infrastructure every year.
After the tour, WTC Moscow Press Secretary Tatyana Slabynko spoke with Maria Zakharova about the importance of cybersecurity in the current conditions.
Tatyana Slabynko: Maria, do you think events like PHDays are of particular importance under the current conditions?
Maria Zakharova: One of the hottest topics today is digital sovereignty. This is not a question of protection, cyber environment, information security. This topic is more global and comprehensive - how to create an environment in which one would be safe, while there would be opportunities for development, an opportunity to make independent decisions without the inherent risks associated with the lack of digital independence. And, of course, the event itself is very interesting and multifunctional.
T.S.: How do you like the tour? The cyber training ground itself, the scale of the work carried out, the ability to actually see how a hacker attack takes place and what the consequences are, all this is impressive, isn't it?
M.Z.: PHDays is no longer just a conference, but scientific and application activitiesdscnegfkfat the highest technological level. This is my second day here. Yesterday I came, made a speech, and today I had already looked at how everything is technically arranged. I liked it very much. Just awesome.
T.S.: Recently, the nature of cyberthreats has changed dramatically, and their number has grown exponentially. Now more than ever it is important to pay more attention to information security. First of all, train people involved in defense. Do you think that under the current conditions, the training programs need to be rejuvenated in order to start preparing relevant specialists as early as possible?
M.Z.: I am always wary of such campaigns when it starts to bring something into a violent order. I stay for harmonization and balance. When we talk about a professional environment, then, first of all, we must see professional qualities. This is primary. And everything else - age, gender, color of eyes, hair and skin is secondary. When everyone proceeds from such an attitude to business, when professional skills, personal qualities, and a moral and ethical component come first collectively, many problems will disappear by themselves.
T.S.: Thank you very much for your time.